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FOR BREAKING NEWS VISIT www.couriersun.com MARCH 20, 2014 • THE COURIER SUN 21 SNAPS QUEENS BY KATELYN DI SALVO Which highways do you think are the worst in Queens? If I had to choose, I would say the Jackie Robinson and the Belt Parkway are the worst. Ellen Blond The Jackie Robinson and that area right by Queens Boulevard are horrible; there are always accidents there. Josette and Carl Chiavarino I would say the LIE is the worst, at some parts the potholes get really bad. Hank Krell The Brooklyn Queens Expressway and the Long Island Expressway. Both of those are nightmares. My question would be, if we’re paying all these taxes why aren’t they going to infrastructure? Steve Bar The Brooklyn Queens Expressway has to be the worst. It’s full of pot holes and the traffi c is horrible. Robert Klein The ones that come to mind are the Brooklyn Queens Expressway and the Jackie Robinson. I try to avoid getting on those. Victor Fichera oped street talk  I would say the Long Island Expressway has to be the worst. Christopher Lawder Parts of the Grand Central Parkway and the Clearview can get really bad, with all the potholes. Kenny Cintron Why we need Mayor de Blasio’s pre-k plan BY COUNCILMEMBER DANIEL DROMM As chair of the NYC Council Education Committee, it is a priority of mine to see Mayor Bill de Blasio’s universal prekindergarten plan enacted. The only viable way to ensure that our children get this extra year of education is to create a tax on the city’s most wealthy residents to help fund it. Before teaching fourth grade for 25 years, I directed a preschool in Harlem. I saw fi rsthand how an extra year of socializing and learning helped set up these young learners of all social and ethnic backgrounds for a more productive educational career. Study after study has shown that quality pre-k works. Pre-kindergarten isn’t just for the children. It also lends a helping hand to their parents, especially single parents. At the fi rst Education Committee hearing that I chaired on February 12, I heard from parents about how pre-kindergarten combined with after school care allows them to work a full day. Without pre-k, working mothers and fathers have to scramble to fi nd someone to care for their children and often times have to scrape the bottom of their bank accounts to pay for childcare. I believe it is not too much to ask of those who are making $500,000 or more a year to fund the program with a small tax increase that equals the price of a cup of latte from Starbucks every day. I totally disagree with those who say these wealthy residents may leave the city. New York City is the greatest city in the world and everybody wants to be here. Wealthy residents won’t leave just for the price of a cup of coffee. A tax on the wealthy is the right path. Governor Andrew Cuomo’s plan to fund a statewide program without a designated tax has its pitfalls. Former Education Committee Chair Robert Jackson walked 150 miles to Albany to shine light on the unequitable amount of education funding NYC receives and won a court judgment for city schools. A decade later, more than $4 billion of that money has never made it to our public schools. That’s why we need a dedicated tax – a lockbox – to fund this program. Pre-kindergarten is a win-win plan for everyone. It gives all children a better start with a chance at a better future. It gives parents the support they deserve to further contribute to the city’s vibrant economy. And, most importantly, it provides New Yorkers with a bright future. Councilmember Daniel Dromm is chair of the NYC Council Education Committee. He was elected to the New York City Council in 2009 and represents District 25 (Jackson Heights & Elmhurst). REMEMBER THE WORLD’S FAIR? Did you or someone you know attend the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair at Flushing Meadows-Corona Park? If yes, The Courier is asking you to share your memorabilia and/or memories with us to commemorate the event’s 50th anniversary this April. You could win a dinner for two. Please email your entries to editorial@queenscourier. com with the subject line “World’s Fair Anniversary” or to Editorial, 38-15, Bell Boulevard, Bayside, NY 11361. Note: All photos/items become property of The Queens Courier I’m a resident of Whitestone and constantly walk to Francis Lewis Park (underneath the Whitestone Bridge). Here is my photo of the bridge as a background to a heart-branched tree. Photo by Andriana (Rizos) Tsirkas Send us your photos of Queens and you could see them online or in our paper! Submit them to us via our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ QueensCourier by tweeting @queenscourier or by emailing them to ctumola@queenscourier.com


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